The present invention relates generally to automotive vehicle bodies, and more specifically to such bodies having roofs configured to mount warning equipment thereon.
It is well known in the automotive vehicle assembly arts to modify a passenger car or truck for use as an emergency vehicle through the addition of special purpose equipment to the basic vehicle to make it suitable for its end use. It is desirable that much of this special purpose equipment be readily removable from the vehicle by its owner to facilitate its resale as a general purpose vehicle after some period of emergency vehicle use. One class of special purpose equipment presents difficulty in this regard, however; that is the electrically operated warning equipment, such as flashing lights, spotlights, sirens and speakers, generally mounted on the roof of such vehicles. Such equipment is typically mounted on a base which extends laterally across the roof of the vehicle and which is mounted to the roof in a secure manner either through clamps or threaded fasteners which pierce sheet metal from which the roof is formed. Either type of fastening, and particularly the threaded fastener type, create discontinuities in the vehicle's roof surface which adversely affect the resale value of the vehicle for general purpose use. In addition, the routing of wiring to deliver electrical power from the vehicle to the warning equipment also results in the piercing of body panels to route the wires, giving the same adverse effect on the appearance of the roof or adjacent body panels.